Travelers Are Writing Fewer and Nicer Online Hotel Reviews This Year

Samantha Shankman, Skift

- Oct 28, 2013 10:00 am

Skift Take

Writing hotel reviews has become a common part of a travel experience. Guests and hotel managers are getting better at filtering through the noise to write and comment on the service and amenities that really matter.

— Samantha Shankman

Share

Tweet

Share

Post

Send

Guests at U.S. hotels posted 25,000 fewer online reviews this summer than the same quarter last year. However, those reviews got more attention from hotel management and were more positive than those from previous years.

The report found that travelers are writing fewer reviews, but that review scores and management response rates were on the rise throughout July, August, and September.

Hotels’ “TrustScores,” a number out of 100 that represents the overall guest experience, improved across all U.S. markets. New York City had the highest score, 90.5, followed by Orlando (88.98) and Chicago (88.12).

Customers’ satisfaction with hotel location, room, and food improved throughout 2013. This was assisted by the growing prevalence with digital maps and more sophisticated search tools. However, guests are less satisfied with service and Internet access.

TrustScore 2013

TrustScore 2012

TrustScore Change (%)

Total United States

81.2

79.6

2

Major Markets: US

85.2

84

1.4

All Other Markets

78.4

76.4

2.7

Northeast

81.1

79.2

2.4

Midwest

79.6

78.5

1.4

South

81.4

80.2

1.5

West

82.4

80

3

The overall number of hotel reviews decreased 9 percent over the same period last year. This could be due to traveler fatigue, a switch in hotels’ focus from soliciting reviews to responding to them, or travelers’ growing loyalty to a single review platform.

TripAdvisor is the largest review platform and accounts for 42 percent of all reviews in the third quarter. TripAdvisor, Booking.com, and Priceline were the only sites that gained reviews year-over-year.